School Articles

This post was first published in The Mission on Medium. If you’re an aspiring or current educational leader, you know first-year teachers are cheap, but they don’t stay cheap for long. Hiring isn’t like buying a car — cars depreciate right off the lot, but teachers cost more and more with every year experience. That cost can add up!…

“Mrs. L didn’t get the tickets yet. The first half sold out. We’ll try again tomorrow.” I said yes to something only an insano mom would do. MineCon. “What’s MineCon?” you ask. It’s twelve-thousand Minecraft people converging somewhere in the US. This year it’s in Anaheim, California, right at the beginning of the school year. If we…

All you really need in life is a box and some tape. “No! Don’t recycle, Mom! I need them.” The stack of Amazon boxes reminds Declan of Christmas. I scowl–forty rainforests died because I ordered a few glass bottles. I love the magic of Amazon, it’s the packaging I feel guilty about. Push a button, things arrive. Things I…

I have to go to the bathroom. I wish the bell would ring. It finally does. I really don’t have to go, but I know I’d better try because I’ve only got one shot to go during the day…my mother always made me try “just in case.” That and teaching made me paranoid. Most people can’t imagine…

I’m minding my own business relaxing after a long day of work when the boy walks in. “Hey Mom, did you know you can cut your hair with paper scissors?” “Why yes, I did.” I say. The trick is not to overreact. This isn’t some random conversation. It’s a revelation. “But I don’t recommend it. Your hair will…

It’s the last day of school–one of those pointless days that shouldn’t be on school calendars except the legislators who say “It’s not seat time that matters, it’s quality of learning.” Then, they mandate a 180-day school year. So, we end up with this useless chunk of time at the bitter end. Exams are done, kids come anyway. I feel bad for them. “Go to the beach.”…

We’re making poster boards of our favorite insects, Declan and I. It’s my first second grade project. I tell him I’m not going to do it for him, I’m going to make my own. “You can’t make one! Parents can’t do their own!” He chose praying mantises. I want to do butterflies. I bought five poster boards. That…

“We learned about the human body today.” Declan is proud. It’s one of the few days he hasn’t said, “Nothing” when I ask him what he did at school. School children do a whole lot of “nothing” when you ask them. It’s probably why we need to give so many standardized tests, so we can measure the…

“But I have way more than eight items,” I said. I was stocking up. The beer fridge is outside, so I only have to go big shopping once a month–or less. “That’s okay,” she said. She directed me to express. It was a ghost town over there. Everyone else was using the self-check line. I hate those. I want to tell…

“Go ahead, call a regular cab…We’ll reimburse you,” said the wedding coordinator. We didn’t mean to wake her at 5AM, but the card said, “For travel emergencies, call…” After a week in beautiful Costa Rica, two of us had to cut the trip short to get back to reality. The prearranged cab was a no show and we had to…